Feeding mechanism for sewing-machines.



M D. S. SEYMOUR. FEED'NG MECHANISM FOR SEW-ING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 914.

Patented J an. 21, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

Q Vi/tvmaoeo D. S. SEYMOUR.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION r1150 JAN. 6, 19141 1,292,099. 1 I Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

awvamtoz wi tmeb-oeo attorney;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DUDLEY S. SEYMOUR, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, A SSIGNOR TO UNION SPECIAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS."

FEEDING- MECHANISM FOR SEWIN G-MACHIN ES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

Application filed January 6, 1914. Serial No. 810,647.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DUDLEY S. SEYMOUR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawin and to the figures of reference marked t ereon.

The invention relates more particularly to the means for imparting an intermittent movement to a feed roller used in connection with sewing machines for pulling the material through the machine in timed relationto the actuation of the feed of the sewing machine. I

An object of the invention is to provide a friction clutch for operating the feed rollers which is so constructed that the wear of the friction gripping members is widely. distributed so as to increase the life andefiiciency of the clutch..

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view partly in section showing a puller mechanism used in. connection with the feeding mechanism of a sewing machine, which puller mechanism embodies my improved clutch for rotating the feed rollers.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in plan and partly in section of the friction clutch.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2. v

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view showing in dotted lines a different position of the clutch members and the manner inwhich the wear on the hardened clutch plate is distributed.

Fig. 5 is a detail similar to Fig. 4 showing a slightly modifiedform of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a detail similar to Fig. 4, showin a further modification of the invention.

n Fig. l-of the drawing, I have shown a puller mechanism which consists of rotating feed rolls 1 and 2. The feed roll 1 is carried by a presser bar 3, while the feed roll 2 is mounted on the end of a feed shaft 4. This shaft is mounted in suitable bearings in brackets carried by the bed plate 5.

The-sewing machine proper consists of a work support 6 which is also carried by a mounted on a common supporting bed 8. The needles 9 are carried by a needle bar 10 which is reciprocated in the needle head. A feed dog 11 cooperates with a presser foot 12. This feed dog is carried by a feed bar 13 which is moved back and forth by a feed rocker 14. The feed bar is raised and lowered by an eccentric 15 on the main shaft 16 of the sewing machine. The above devices are of the usual construction and form no part of my present invention.

The shaft 4 is intermittently rotated in timed relation to the feeding mechanism of the sewing machine. This shaft 4 is intermittently rotated by a friction clutch and my invention is directed to this friction clutch. The friction clutch consists of an outer sleeve 17 which is fixed to the shaft 4 by a set screw 18. An inner sleeve 19 is fixed to the bracket 20, which in turn is attached to 'the supporting bed 5. A11 inner 'moved endwise by an eccentric on the main shaft 16 of the sewing machine. The inner sleeve 21 extends into the outer sleeve 17, and is provided with outwardly projectiiig arms 24 which, as herein shown, are three in number.

Rollers 25 are disposed between the arms 24. These rollers rest on hardened lates 26 carried by the arms 24. Springs 2 carried by the arms 24 engage the rollers and normally force the same along the hardened plates into contact with the inner surface of the sleeve 17. Clutches of this general type are old in the art and the method of frictionally locking the inner sleeve to the outer sleeve will be obvious.

When the inner sleeve turns in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3, the hardened plates which are set so as to intersect the friction gripping surface on the inner face of the sleeve 17 will cause the rollers to grip the rollers from gripping contact with the outer sleeve. There are similar rollers and springs and hardened plates between the in- ,ner sleeve 19 and the opposite end of the outer sleeve 17, the only difference between these parts being that the rollers are so' set that the sleeve 19 which is fixed holds the sleeve 17 from any retrograde movement when the sleeve 21 is moved in a backward direction for the next feeding stroke.

The rollers in clutches of the above character have always come into gripping contact in the same relative position on the hardened plates and this is found in prac-' ties to wear the hardened plate so as to form a groove therein and thus soon destroy the efficiency of the clutch as new plates must be substituted for the old ones to prevent slippiIfi/g of the clutch parts.

y invention is directed particularl to the construction of a clutch of the above character wherein the wear on the hardened plates will be distributed. In carryingout ,the invention as shown in Fig. 4, the inner clutch surface 28 of the sleeve 17 is formed eccentric to the center ofthe shaft 4. By forming this inner clutch surface eccentric to the center of the shaft 4, the wear on the hardened plates is distributed as will appear from the dotted line position of the parts in Fig. 4. The line wb in this figure is the radius of the greatest eccentricity of the clutch surface 28, while the line a0 is the radius of least eccentricity. The line a-c' represents the positions of the parts when the radius (Z -6 of least eccentricity has reached the position ac.

When the arts are in the position shown in the full lines, the distance between the outer face of the inner sleeve 21 and the clutch surface of the outer sleeve along the line wb is greater than the distance between the outer face of the inner sleeve and the clutch surface of the outer sleeve along the line a- -c. Therefore, the roller when in gripping osition will engage the hardened plate at t e point 29. When the parts are returned to the. osition shown in dotted lines, this same ro ler-will grip the hardened plate at the oint 30 fornow the distance between the ardened plate and the clutch surface of the outer sleeve is less. Between these extreme ositions as the roller engages the clutch sur ace, the point of contact with the hardened plate will be shifted between points 28 and 29 and, therefore, the wear on the hardened plate is distributed.

In Fig. 5 of the. drawings, 1 have shown a construction wherein the clutch surface 28 on the inner face of the outer sleeve 17 is concentric with the axis a of the shaft 4. Each of the rollers 31 are, however, slightly out of true or eccentric. In this figure the maximum diameter of the roller 31is indicated at ak-w, while the minimum diameter is indicated at 3 -3 When this roller naeaoee is caught so as to grip the hardened plate 26 and the clutch surface 28 with the longest diameter w-m in gripping engagement with these parts, then the point of contact between the roller and the hardened plate is at the point 32. When, however, this roller is gripped with the minimum diameter y-;:; in contact with the hardened plate and the outer clutch surface, then the point of contact between the roller. and the har dened plate is at the point 33. The gri ping of the roller at oints between t e minimum and maxium iameters will vary the point of gripping contact with the hardened plate between the oints 32 and 33. Therefore, this forming o the roller or one of the clutching arts with its surface eccentric causes a distribution or shifting of the wear on the hardened gripping plate.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings, I have shown a further modification of the invention. In this figure, the inner member is formed eccentrlcally to the axis of the supporting shaft for the clutch wheel. Theout-er member carries the clutch plates. The shaft 4 carries a collar 35 havin an eccentric outer surface 36. This collar is loosely mounted on the shaft and is oscillated for intermittently moving the outer sleeve 37 and is held from movement when the parts form the holding member attached to the fixed bracket 20. The outer sleeve 37, like the sleeve 17 is fixed to the shaft 4. The rollers.

38 are concentric and rest on this surface 36 and bear against hardened plates 39 carried by the sleeve 37. Springs 40 force the rollers into contact with the plates.

The operation of the arts is precisely the same as above descrl ed, wherein the outer member is eccentric, and further description of this modified form of the invention is not thought necessar While I have described my friction clutch as especially adapted for use in connection with the feedin mechanism for sewing machines, it will e understood from certain aspects of the invention that said clutch may be used for purposes wherein it is desired to ve an intermittent rotati n to an operate part.

Having thus described my invention, what gagement I with the hardened plate and the In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, clutching surface, one ofsaid cylindrical in the presence of two witnesses.

clutchin surfaces and the parts associated therewit operating to rotate the sleeve and DUDLEY SEYMOUR 5 the other cylindrical clutching surface op- Witnesses:

crating to hold .the sleeve from movement S. GEORGE TATE,

in a backward direction.- T. C. FETROW. 

